On September 9th local time, a reporter from CCTV learned that Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Mohbi issued a statement warning that Iran now possesses strong countermeasures and deterrence capabilities. If an enemy attacks two to three Iranian targets, Iran will retaliate with a forceful strike against 20 enemy targets. Mohbi emphasized that if the enemy wishes to end the current situation, the following conditions must be met:
Complete cessation of military operations and abandonment of further threats;
Withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon;
Lifting of the blockade against Yemen;
Unfreezing of $24.4 billion in frozen Iranian assets;
Ceasing interference in Iran's nuclear capabilities and missile development programs.
Mohbi also stated that Iran will establish a new maritime "sanctions zone," and any vessel entering this zone will be sanctioned. Mohbi said that any vessel entering this zone will be prohibited from receiving maritime, insurance, and related support services, and will also be unable to obtain maritime and related services when navigating the Strait of Hormuz in the future. Mohbi stated that this "sanctioned area" roughly begins at the port of Chabahar in southeastern Iran and extends to parts of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Specific coordinates will be announced separately.
Regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Mohbi previously stated that no advanced technology can penetrate Iran's multi-layered surveillance system in the Strait of Hormuz. Mohbi said that Iran captured the US military's most advanced unmanned underwater vehicle at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz early that morning, demonstrating Iran's ability to conduct multi-layered surveillance of the Strait.
US Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins stated on the 8th that the US unmanned underwater vehicle claimed by Iran to have captured had malfunctioned more than a day earlier and was not carrying any sensitive data or classified equipment.
The UN Secretary-General called for the restoration of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to British sources on the 9th, preliminary shipping data from the ship tracking agency Kepler showed that only six merchant ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on the 8th, lower than the nine ships of the previous day and also lower than the daily average of about 12 ships over the past ten days.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on September 9 that he was deeply concerned about the further escalation of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding region, and called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and fully restore and respect the rights and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law.
